Choosing from across the sea

Ciera Fleming – Kapolei, Hawaii

During my senior year of high school I was constantly going to information sessions for the colleges that visited my school, but Pitzer’s stood out the most. Being from Hawaii, I had never heard of Pitzer until the morning before the information session when my college counselor told me that it would be a great fit for me. I was hesitant to add another college to my long list but I quickly fell in love with the core values that matched many of my own, and I knew that I had to apply.

Once it finally came down to making a decision, I was between two very different schools: Pitzer and a school on the east coast. So I decided to attend Pitzer’s admitted students day to make my final decision. I remember walking into the dining hall for dinner, nervous as I walked through a sea of unknown people. But as I sat with a group of other prospective students, a Pitzer senior that was not a part of the program sat down with us to answer any questions that we had. Every person that I met was so excited to tell me about their Pitzer experience and everything they loved about it. I had never experienced so much kindness and warmth at any other school that I had been too and I knew I would probably not find such a unique environment anywhere else. I loved the weather, the food and most of all the people. I could tell right away that everyone was just happy to be at Pitzer and I knew that I had finally found where I fit.

87 Degrees is a Cool Day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jenna Florio – Queens, NY

Why would any East Coaster leave the collegiate hub that is the East Coast to go to college?

 

The first answer that comes to everyone’s mind is the weather of course! Well here I am in Claremont on the first official Monday of classes and everyone is ecstatic today is considered a cool day. Today’s high was 87°F and it is considered a cool day?!? Okay so I probably shouldn’t complain. Unlike hot days in New York when you walk outside damp with sweat only to be overwhelmed by the smell of melting garbage at Pitzer not only are you surrounded with blooming flowers growing out of cacti and students happily sunbathing in between classes but you get to have an escape from the damp, smelly, heavy pool that is humidity.  This was the most shocking thing for me to experience: actually enjoying a 90°F day. Standing underneath the beating sun you can feel your skin melting off but once you find that shady spot under a tree while also experiencing the mist from the fountain (which looks like modern art takes on old faithful) it feels like there is a drop of about 10°F. Unlike East Coasters being anti-social on hot days were they hide out in their tiny air conditioned apartments or refuse to go outside unless ever step to travel to their destination will be air conditioned at Pitzer you will find people playing around in the outdoors every day of the week.

 The only time you’ll ever see student not lounging around outside is the 2 to 3 times a month it drizzles out here. In my opinion a light rainstorm in southern California is equitant to a heavy snow storm on the East Coast. You’ll see student bundling up and complaining about having to go outside. If only they knew the horrors of waking up at 8am to a dark sky for a whole month in the middle of snowy New England winter. The few times a month it drizzles (emphasis on the drizzle because rain storms are pretty inexistence in the dessert) at Pitzer are some of my favorite days of the year. Those are the days you can pinpoint where every student grew up before Pitzer just by their reaction to the rain. The hardest transition for me was changing my east coast mentality of “Oh, it’s a beautiful day! I need to drop all my plans to take advantage of the outdoors” to “Oh wait a minute every day is beautiful!” I feel fortunate that I have experience all the horrible weather on the East Coast so I can truly appreciate the beauty of Southern California. So when people say, “Oh, Southern California. How do get anything done? You must love the weather” I smile to myself knowing that we go to school in one of the most perfect places in America.